Worth More Than Gold
by My Purple Skies
Summary: Middle-Earth is changing and dragons are being hunted. A group of dragons go to a wizard for help. He gives them the ability to turn into humans. As time goes by, Middle-Earth's magical beings go into hiding and we are left with our present world. Smaug, disguised as a human, works as a ruthless lawyer. His new assistant, Diana, notices that things are not quite what they seem.
1. Middle-Earth

**(Well, this one was the winner! And I'm happy it was because I am really excited for this story. I did a lot of research on dragons and the legends and myths surrounding them and dug around in Tolkien's masterpiece creation of Middle-Earth. I can only hope this story ends up being as amazing as it sounded in my head. Bear with this first chapter, it picks up after this. I tried to model this chapter to sound a bit like Tolkien but I know I failed at that so don't bother telling me. I have a playlist that I listen to as I write this story. I'll post a song or instrumental piece suggestion with every update. The first song I suggest you listen to is 'Dragon' by John Flynn, along with 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' [Extended Version] by Neil Finn.**

**Just to let you know, I heard Liam Neeson's voice in my head as I wrote Laven.)**

Chapter One

Middle-Earth

_There was a time when the world was known as Middle-Earth; when magic was in the very air you breathed. Creatures such as elves, hobbits, dwarves, goblins, orcs, and wizards lived in this world and not between the pages of a book. Perhaps you are already familiar with these creatures and have heard about their involvement in the discovery and destruction of a powerful ring? If so, then you know how it came to be discovered by a hobbit named, Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End. You know of his adventure with thirteen dwarves to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor from a wicked dragon. But do you know of the story of the beast; the dragon, Smaug?_

_It was widely known that he was a fire drake from the North who came and drove out the dwarves of Erebor so that he could gain their vast treasure. But that is not where his story begins. His story actually begins nearly a hundred years before he overtook Erebor. His story begins… in a cave in the Grey Mountains…_

Dragons from all corners of Middle-Earth had gathered together in this cave-not _all _of them, mind you, but quite a number. They were a proud and powerful race, long thought to be indestructible…until the day they discovered that they were not.

Whispers, rumors had begun to swirl among the dragons that their kind were being _hunted. _"By whom?" some would ask. "Nearly every race has a dragon hunting party," would be the answer. "How came this to be?" would be asked next and the ones who knew would tell them of what had transpired.

An old dragon, who was too weak to fight back, fell under the blades and arrows of a hunting party. They harvested his body for the usual resources; meat for food, hide for clothes, his teeth, claws, and scales for weapons. It was completely by accident that the people discovered more uses for a dragon's body. A tooth had been left behind and trampled in the dirt of a field. That field's harvest was the most plentiful they had ever witnessed. The weapons that were used to cut up the dragon, covered in its blood, now were able to pierce the strongest armor and shields.

Upon this discovery, dragon hunting parties were formed to hunt down the beasts. New weapons formed from their very teeth and claws were fashioned and fighting strategies were made to successfully bring down dragon. As time passed, their numbers dwindled. By the time the dragons realized how serious the situation was they were on the verge of extinction.

A group of eight dragons were in the center of the cave. They were led by Laven, a blue scaled dragon who lived in the West. He and the others were in agreement to seek out the help of a wizard who was sympathetic to the dragons' plight. But the other dragons scoffed at the idea. The eldest dragon of the entire gathering, Glindrail, was appointed as the head of the gathering and would hear out each side of the argument. He was a _very_ old dragon, so old that his scales which had once been gold were now all becoming pure white. It was rumored that he was a direct descendent of Ancalagon the Black, the father of the winged drakes.

Glindrail listened carefully to Laven and his small group as they once again pleaded with the others to join them in their journey to the wizard who had agreed to help them. He listened with equal patience to the opposing side as well. Once both sides had been heard out, Glindrail turned his spiked head to look at the red and gold dragon on his right.

"Smaug, what are your thoughts?" Glindrail's voice was a voice that never rose above a normal speaking volume. Everyone ceased what they were doing to listen to Glindrail.

Though he was not the eldest dragon, nor the second or third eldest, Smaug was still considered a great dragon. His pride and wealth was well known throughout Middle-Earth and his wrath was indescribable.

"I would rather be descaled and my wings torn off than to go to a human for help," Smaug's cold voice replied to Glindrail's question.

"He's not a human; he's a wizard!" Laven insisted.

Smaug narrowed his golden eyes at Laven, a bold move considering Laven was centuries older than him. "A wizard is nothing more than a human with a longer lifespan and a talent at conjuring."

"This wizard is no amateur conjurer."

"All the same, we do not need the help of a wizard."

"Smaug is right," another dragon spoke up. "Our race will thrive once more. Many of our non-present females did not gather with us so that they could watch over their nests. Within months we shall be welcoming new dragons!"

A cheerful murmur rose from the other dragons.

"Not as many as you think." Voices stopped at Laven's words. "None shall come from the West, for I am the last."

The voices rose with a different tone now. Glindrail and Smaug exchanged looks.

"I am not the only one who has become the sole survivor of their kind." Laven nudged a knucker and a bucca dragon forward from his small group. Both cringed at the sudden attention. The brown knucker's heavily spined earflaps were folded flat against his head as he nervously eyed the other dragons. The bucca, being the shyest of all dragon species, looked as though he would dart away any second. Neither one had the courage to speak so Laven took it upon himself to tell their story.

"As you all know, knuckers and buccas cannot fly…which is how they were so easily hunted down and killed."

"Humans are not that strong," Smaug insisted loudly.

"Then why are we becoming so few!" Laven shouted. "The humans are using our own scales, teeth, and blood against us!"

A gargouille in Laven group (not to be confused with gargoyles though they are similar in appearance) respectfully stepped forward. "I am Brekken of the gargouilles, and I can assure you that this is the truth. I am able to blend in with stone and was able to steal into a kingdom constructed of stone. I spied on the peoples activities. They are making their armor from our scales and hides, washing their weapons in our blood!"

Glindrail solemnly bowed his head at the news. Smaug's snout was furiously producing plumes of smoke. There were a few beats of silence before Glindrail spoke. "Are you not on friendly terms with the humans, Laven?" He turned his gaze to Brekken. "And do the gargouilles not live close by kingdoms made of stone? Were you not in constant contact with the humans?"

A mischievous smirk appeared on Brekken's almost beak-like mouth. "They may not have been aware of my kinds' presence," he answered.

"The humans do not recognize friend from foe anymore. They even attack each other now," Laven informed sadly.

Smaug knew of Laven's fondness for humans and found it sickening. How could a dragon feel anything but disgust or hunger for such pathetic creatures?

"Trouble is fast approaching," Laven continued, "and if we don't act now, then I fear for the future of our kind. We have pleaded with you long enough and shall not wait any longer. We fly tonight to Mirkwood where Radagast the Brown awaits us. Those of you who wish to join us are welcome."

…

That night, Laven and the other seven dragons waited inside the now empty cave in the hopes of having a few more join them. Laven stood at the cave entrance, searching the skies for any sign of an approaching dragon. His ears could not even pick up the sound of wings. He hung his head low in disappointment. It would soon be time to begin their flight to Mirkwood…and no one was coming.

The sound of two clawed feet hesitantly coming towards him met his ears. Using his long neck to bring his head around, Laven met eyes with Brekken. "Well?" the gargouille asked anxiously. Laven sadly closed his eyes and shook his head. Brekken began to rub his human-like hands nervously. "This isn't good."

"No, it isn't," Laven agreed. "Seven males…one female."

Brekken moved closer to Laven so they could talk in low whispers. "How are we going to preserve our race if the only female we have is…?" He cast a pitying glance at the green-scaled dragon who had removed herself from the others and was sitting alone.

"I am well aware of the situation with Sylvaya, though I do not recall telling you about her condition." Laven fixed Brekken with a pointed stare.

Brekken looked at the ground and made a shallow trench in the sand with his toe claw. "I overheard a few females talking about her."

"Overheard?"

"Well, I might have blended in with the stones and eavesdropped," Brekken admitted. He shrugged his scaly shoulders. "I can't help it if they whisper so loud." Another glance at Sylvaya. "Is she still trying to pursue Smaug as her mate?"

Laven sighed. "Yes. But Smaug will never choose her."

"Because she's barren?"

"Yes, because she's barren. And because our species of dragon- Smaug, Sylvaya, and I- mate for life; and Smaug loves nothing but himself and gold."

"it's bad manners to talk about someone when they're not present," came a new voice.

Laven instantly recognized the smooth, velvety voice. "Smaug, you were the last dragon I expected to show," Laven said with surprise.

Smaug the Magnificent appeared from the shadows, silent as the night. He was the only dragon who had mastered the ability to move with such stealth that even other dragons' keen ears could not detect his movements. "I supposed accepting this _wizard's_ help this once would be far less humiliating than being slaughtered by non-magical beings who would then proceed to use my carcass for their means." His golden eyes scanned the cave. "Is this it then?" He scoffed. "Eight males and one _barren _female?" His scaly lips pulled back in a sneer at the sight of Sylvaya. "We're off to a fine start."

"We will wait a little longer but then we must go. Radagast will be waiting for us," Laven said.

But no other dragons came.

It was too dangerous to travel by ground for the flightless dragons, so the bucca and knucker rode on the backs of Laven and another dragon named Relin. Their flight was uneventful and Radagast was indeed waiting for them at the edge of the forest.

"Oh my, oh my," he tittered, smiling at the majestic beasts as they landed around hm and tucked in their wings. His smile dimmed when he noticed how few there were. "Wait!' He began to turn in a circle, counting the dragons aloud as he did. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven-oh! Hello, Laven!-eight, nine…only…only nine? But I thought-?"

"They were unwilling to come, my friend," Laven explained.

Smaug took a moment to study Radagast and felt cheated. He pictured a great and powerful wizard in fine clothes and a clean appearance. The man before him was neither of those things. Radagast wasn't tall and imposing, nor was he wearing fine clothes; he wore raggedy brown robes and a dirty hat. His grey beard was long and unkempt with bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it. The wizard either didn't know or he didn't care that there was dried bird excrement all down the right side of his face. He carried a wooden staff with some sort of a blue stone encased in the distorted top of the staff.

"Perhaps others will change their minds later. You told them where to find me just in case?"

"I did."

"Oh, well, we can only hope for more in the days to come."

"Enough chatter!" Smaug's voice bellowed. "You said you could help us? If you lied, I will not hesitate to end your miserable life."

A gleam appeared in Radagast's blue eyes and a confident smile curled his lips. "I'd like to see you try," he challenged in a calm tone.

A rumble was heard from Smaug. Laven put himself between them. "Enough! Radagast would not lie to me, and even if he did I would know. You forget, Smaug, that I know when man speaks truth or lies."

Smaug narrowed his golden eyes at Radagast but the old man didn't so much as blink. He stared right back at the dragon. Smaug barred his teeth in a final warning and backed away.

"Well, if you can manage it, I'd like to get into the forest so no eyes in the sky can see us. Apparently, the birds have been bullied by you dragons enough to turn them into spies for the hunting parties."

Laven eyed the forest for a moment. "We shall have to crawl on our bellies," he said.

"Smaug the Magnificent does not crawl on his belly in the dirt!" the dragon growled.

"For the time being he does!" Laven bellowed back, flicking his tail in irritation. He did not wait for a response; he dipped his head at Radagast and indicated the forest. "After you," he said.

Radagast smiled and placed a hand on the dragon's scaled front foot. "I am so sorry it had to come to this, Laven." He entered the woods and Laven lowered himself as close as he could to the ground, inching into the woods. Smaug noticed the others were watching him. He gave an annoyed snort and followed Laven's example. The others did the same.

Smaug was surprised to find a clearing in the woods big enough for them to crouch in a circle around Radagast. Seeing their confused expressions, a talent Radagast had acquired by befriending Laven, he explained, "I convinced a few trees to make some room for you tonight. Look." He pointed his staff upward to reveal that the trees had also rearranged their branches to cover the gap their move would have made from above in the tree tops. "They even hid us from sky spies."

"Let's get on with it," the brown knucker dragon said nervously. "I want to be safe."

"And you will be, Sungar," Laven assured him.

Sungar's ear flaps pricked up. "But how?"

"By turning you into the very beings that hunt you," Radagast announced proudly.

"What!" Smaug thundered.

"It's a transformation spell that will allow you to become shape-shifters. You will be both a dragon and a human. You can change shape just by willing it to happen."

"Of all the degrading-," Sylvaya hissed.

"Have you any better ideas?"

"Why not attack the humans? We've demolished kingdoms before-."

"That was when they were not using our own advantages against us," Laven reminded her. "We have no other choice. This spell will give us the safety we need until we come up with a better way to counter this threat." The blue dragon met Radagast's eyes. "I trust your judgment."

"I for one do not!"

"That has been quite obvious, Smaug."

"Laven-."

"Do not question me, Smaug!" The forest trembled at the power in Laven's voice and then all was still. Smaug offered no apology and remained silent.

"Are you ready?" Radagast asked the small group. No one objected. "Then I shall begin."

**(Okay, I originally planned for there to be more in this chapter, but that soon proved to be a bit difficult due to my schedule. I hope this has caught your interest though. I want to hear from you Readers! What do you think so far?)**


	2. Reflection

**(Thank you all who favorited, followed and reviewed this story! Honestly, I am very nervous about this story because I will be setting foot in a new writing style territory. **

**I have another music suggestion for you; anything from the LOTR soundtrack or The Hobbit soundtrack. I had "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran on repeat while I worked on this chapter. It's a very lovely song that's on The Hobbit; The Desolation of Smaug soundtrack ;) I cannot flippin' wait for that movie to arrive!**

**So now we pick up where I left off. Aiden Turner's face kept shoving its way into my mind's eye when I pictured Brekken's human form. Yes, I know, he plays Kili in the Hobbit but that's who I pictured no matter how hard I tried not to. Anton Yelchin was too cute to pass up as the human form of Sungar.)**

Chapter Two

Reflection

Smaug's next memory was waking up in a strange place and hearing a female's voice cry out, "You're awake!" A woman-a _human_- with long, flowing blond hair and grey eyes, suddenly threw herself beside him and clasped his hand- _hand?_ – between the both of hers. Smaug violently snatched his hand away and snarled at the woman, sending her to the floor. But his snarl didn't sound right. He reached for his throat and felt, not scales, but smooth flesh. And what was this that covered his body? Fabric… clothes? He picked at it curiously. Wait, he had no talons!

"The spell worked, Smaug," the woman said carefully.

Smaug looked up from examining his clawless hands. "Spell?"

"Two nights ago, in the forest…"

The memories came back. The wizard, Radagast, and the shape-shifting spell, and then the darkness. Smaug looked at the woman who had remained on the floor. Her voice…

"Sylvaya?"

She grinned and revealed perfectly straight, white teeth instead of fangs. "Yes," she answered breathlessly. Sylvaya quickly stood to her feet and reached for him again. He pulled back from her touch, still looking around and trying to figure out how to get out of the pitiful excuse for a bed he was lying in.

Smaug once again looked at the blue tunic covering his chest, paying attention to how odd it felt to be wearing something over his body. The material was not unpleasant but to someone who had never worn clothes before, the texture was strange against his smooth skin. The wizard must have provided them with clothes.

Judging by the look of his surroundings, Smaug guessed that he was inside a giant tree that had been hallowed out and turned into a house. And his second guess was that it belonged to Radagast. If the various books of magic, bottles of potion, and the other odds and ends did not belong to a wizard then Smaug was a lizard!

Sitting up was simple, he didn't have to think twice about the motion, but swinging his legs over the edge of the bed was another thing entirely. Sylvaya watched him as he struggled to stand and caught him when he tripped.

"We all had trouble walking at first," she told him, stroking his back as they slowly made their way towards the door. Smaug would have shaken off her arm if he wasn't depending on her for balance. How did human's manage to walk on two legs? At least Sylvaya's hand was not touching his skin; the tunic provided a thin barrier from the unwanted contact.

She informed him on what had happened during the past two days, about how some of them had been rendered unconscious like him when they were changed into humans. The ones who were awake helped carry the others to Radagast's home deep within Mirkwood. Smaug smirked at finding he'd guessed the homeowner correctly.

Once outside of the house, the two were given a warning shout. "Look out!" Both fell flat on the ground just as a creature who looked a mixture of man and dragon whooshed over their heads.

"Sungar's at it again,' Sylvaya hissed as she helped Smaug to his feet. "He's come to like this ability to transform his shape; especially when he combines his form to be a human with the wings of a dragon. Now that his wings are big enough to lift him, Sungar has been learning to fly. I think he likes being a human more than being a dragon." She nearly spat in disgust. "It's shameful." For once, Smaug felt inclined to agree with her.

He was getting rather annoyed at the slow pace two legs gave so he willed himself to change. But nothing happened. He concentrated on being a dragon but still nothing changed. "Curses! Fire! Murder!" he shouted, which startled Sylvaya. "The wizard has left me in this form!"

Sylvaya lay a hand on his chest. "No, dear Smaug! He didn't! Look…" She took hold of his left arm and pushed back the sleeve of his tunic to reveal a gauntlet of dark brown leather that covered his wrist. On the front, a thin, worm-like dragon was detailed in gold. "By wearing this enchanted bracelet, you cannot change shape. Radagast gave each of us a charm to wear. He said that the spell to remain human takes some concentration and if we were to lose that, this charm will help us maintain our false image."

Smaug could see an emerald earring dangling from her recently pierced ear. He indicated the jewel. "Your charm?"

"Yes."

"Smaug!" It was Laven's voice. A towering man with greying brown hair came forward, walking confidently on two legs.

"Laven?" Smaug asked to be sure.

"Indeed," Laven answered, his smile reaching his blue eyes. Smaug eyed Laven's sure footedness with envy which made the older man laugh. "You'll quickly catch on, Smaug; I have no doubt of that." He motioned for them to follow. "Come. The others are waiting."

Smaug felt a slight sting in his pride at the thought of being the last to awaken from unconsciousness. It made him feel as if he were weak.

They came upon the group of newly turned humans, reclining in the grass with Radagast in front giving them advice on how to blend in with humans. "Now, some of you may have observed human behavior and not understood what you saw. Can any of you think of something like that?"

A young man with shoulder-length, dark brown hair spoke up. "I lived near a kingdom of humans and often observed a custom they would partake when meeting and leaving."

Radagast's blue eyes lit up in amusement. "Ah, I think I know what you speak of. Laven? Oh where did he go? Laven! Lav-oh! There you are!" The old wizard cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Um, Laven, do you mind?"

Laven left Smaug's side for Radagast's. Smaug found Laven's comradery with the wizard absolutely sickening. Laven treated the old man as if they were equals!

When Laven was close, Radagast held out his hand which Laven grasped with his own and proceeded to shake. "Is this what you saw, Brekken?" Radagast asked.

Brekken's green eyes widened n recognition. "Yes, precisely!"

Radagast smiled. "This is what humans call a handshake; usually done by males. It is their way of greeting, sealing a bargain, or how they bid each other good-bye."

Brekken nodded slowly then wrinkled his brow. "But…why? Why shake hands?"

Radagast opened his mouth to speak the stopped and knit his bushy grey eyebrows together in thought. "I don't rightly know myself. It just is." A few dragons smiled at his puzzled expression and answer.

Smaug couldn't believe what he was seeing. Within two days that crazy old fool had managed to be in the good graces of most of the dragons. Did turning into a human affect one's way of thinking? Smaug did not believe so since he and Sylvaya had remarked about the dignifying behavior the others were displaying.

His thoughts were interrupted when Sungar suddenly lost control of his flying and crashed into the group. His dragon tail was rather hard to miss among the tangled limbs of humans. Radagast and Laven hurried to disentangle the humanoid and help the others out of the pile.

Radagast hopped here and there between bodies as he made his way to Sungar. "Sungar, f I have to tell you-oh! Sorry, Relin. If I have to tell you to pace yourself once more," he made it to the younger dragon and glared, "I'll turn you into a turtle!" He didn't really mean it.

"Do not tell a dragon what to do, mortal!" Sylvaya snapped.

"Hold your tongue, Sylvaya," Laven's deep voice hissed. He placed a hand on Radagast's shoulder. It was almost humorous to see the two of them standing beside one another; Laven's towering figure and Radagast's short stature. "I apologize, friend. Our race is one made up of vanity and pride."

"Not _all_ of you," the wizard said.

Laven successfully disentangled the youngest dragon and shoved a copper colored ring into the boy's clawed hand. "Put that on before you do something else," Laven told him. Sungar begrudgingly morphed away the claw on his right hand's ring finger and slipped the ring onto the digit. Instantly the dragon features vanished and a young, curly-haired man sat glumly in the grass. He looked to be stuck in the stage between boyhood and manhood. His curls were golden-brown and his eyes were green.

"Radagast," Sylvaya called. "Tell me, are we commonly or beautiful by human standards?"

Now _there_ was a question Smaug would like to know the answer to. But he didn't even know what his new face looked like! What if the Mighty Smaug's face was ugly? The wizard wouldn't last another moment if that were so.

"I had no hand in how you turned out; the spell changed you into what you would look like as humans and I can assure each and every one of you," the wizard took a moment to look them all in the eye, "that dragons as humans must all be beautiful." He pointed his staff at Sungar. "You may want to learn how to run on those legs of yours. The girl will chase you all over Middle-Earth." Laughter was heard from the males as Brekken gave Sungar a friendly shove.

Smaug paid no attention to their jesting. His eyes were too busy scanning the area for a river or anything else with a reflective surface. As if sensing his thoughts, Radagast moved from the group to Smaug and Sylvaya. "Well, Mighty Smaug, everyone else has seen their new face but you. Would you care to see it now?" Smaug gave a stiff nod. Radagast began to walk to his odd home. "Come with me then." A beat; then. "And Sungar, if the sound of breaking glass I heard earlier turns out to- No! Don't give me that look, lad; I know you were poking around in there when I told everyone to let Smaug rest! If that sound happens to be what remains of the reflecting glass, I'll turn you into a pigeon!"

As Radagast and Smaug entered the tree house, Sungar anxiously tried to remember what item it was he had broken.

…

Radagast left Smaug standing in the center of the house as the old wizard dug noisily around piles of odds and ends, muttering under his breath. "Now where on this good Earth did the last dragon put that glass?"

Smaug felt something skitter over his booted feet and looked down to see a little hedgehog gazing up at him. It twitched its little nose at the dragon in disguise. How dare the creature stare so unabashedly at the Great and Mighty Smaug!

"Away with you," Smaug hissed. The little animal didn't budge. Smaug bared his teeth but it had no results. _"And no wonder,"_ he thought, feeling the edges of his canines with the tip of his tongue, _"With teeth so dull as these, who would be afraid?" _Unless…

Smaug removed the gauntlet and glared at the hedgehog in final warning. "You were warned," he muttered. His teeth suddenly sharpened, his eyes blazed like golden fire, and a roar issued forth from his throat. The tiny animal gave a frightened squeak and scampered off to Radagast who picked up the hedgehog and made soothing sounds to it.

"It's all right, my friend. He's a bit of a rude one."

Smaug snorted and reclasped the gauntlet onto his wrist. Radagast resumed his search for the mirror, the hedgehog perched on his shoulder. Smaug took the time to inspect his charmed gauntlet, lightly tracing the dragon designed into the dark leather. How could something this small be powerful enough to keep Smaug, the Magnificent, at bay? This was a question he'd be asking himself again in the future when a hobbit and a bowman changed the course of his life, and again when another creature of small stature altered his views forever.

"Ah! Here it is!" The wizard blew some dirt off its surface then used his sleeve to finish the job. He handed it to Smaug with a smile. "And here you go."

Smaug took the glass without thanks and stared at his new reflection. The face was a bit narrower than he had originally imagined, but it was an elegant face. He ran a hand through the dark brown-nearly black-curls of hair atop his head and stared directly into his reflection's eyes. At first glance they seemed to be pale blue but the longer he looked he noticed that there were hints of green in the irises. The rest of his features were sharp and angular with a set of high cheekbones. His face was one of intelligence. He had to admit…he liked this face.

"Well?" Radagast prodded. "What do you think?"

Smaug sighed with convincing boredom as he passed the mirror back to the wizard. "It will do, I suppose."

"It will more than do," Sylvaya's voice cut in as she slipped inside and closed the door behind her. "You have the face of a prince, dearest Smaug."

Smaug took a moment to examine Sylvaya. A heart-shaped face with full lips, smokey-grey eyes, smooth, unblemished skin, a pixie-like nose, thin eyebrows, golden hair that fell past her elbows. Perfection. But he still felt no stirrings of desire for her. She was barren. There was no hope of expanding their race through her; all hope lie with the chance that there were other dragons who would survive long enough to produce and hatch their young ones.

Sylvaya had always thought herself above all other dragons except Smaug, whom she saw as her equal. He found this insulting and laughable. No one was his equal. She kept all other females at bay whenever the time to choose mates came along. When dragons of their kind chose a mate it was for _life_. A bond was forged between them and nothing could break it. But Smaug never chose her, nor seemed to pursue or show interest in any of the other females. He despised the fact that she thought she alone was worthy of him; she with her inability to have younglings.

Smaug started out of his thoughts when Sylvaya touched his chest. He grasped her tightly by the wrist and none too gently pushed her away. "Did I give you permission to touch me, Sylvaya?" he hissed.

"Smaug, I did not know what I was doing!" Sylvaya hurried to say. "These human bodies, they…" she trailed off, looking at Smaug's face. "There are strong sensations I feel in this body when I'm around you that I do not feel in my true body." She reached out to caress his cheek. "To touch you is a very strong feeling I'm experiencing."

Smaug caught her hand before it touched him. "Your touches revolt me," he said coldly, then turned and walked out the crudely made door.

Radagast stood awkwardly to the side, flexing his grasp on his staff and exchanging a glance with the hedgehog still on his shoulder. Sylvaya stared at the door, her back to both of them. Radagast took a breath and tried to think of something to say. "I'm, uh, well. Gracious, he was rather harsh."

"I'll have none of your pity, mortal," Sylvaya bit back, not moving from her position. "It will take time but Smaug will eventually see that I am his only choice for a mate. I am the only one worthy for him." And with that, she left the odd wizard alone in his odd house.

…

They spent nearly a week under Radagast's care, learning the ways of humans from both him and Laven. After that, they mostly went their separate ways. The first to leave was Smaug. One day they woke up and he was gone. Sylvaya was distressed about him disappearing without a word and she was the next to leave, no doubt trying to find him.

Laven, Brekken, and Sungar stayed together and went west. Relin, Benef, and Vedell traveled together to the east and parted ways there. Zeb, the bucca, went alone to the South.

No one knew of Radagast's aid to the dragons. Some of the dragons kept to themselves, only turning into humans when they needed to escape or blend in. Others, like Brekken, Laven, and Sungar, settled quite close to villages and mingled with humans daily. Laven taught Brekken and Sungar how to live among humans and how to protect the innocent. Their true forms remained a secret from the humans they guarded. Sylvaya was rarely heard from and would occasionally seem to disappear for decades at a time.

Smaug on the other hand made his presence known and his rage against the humans was indescribable. So fierce was his wrath that no one dared to hunt him or retaliate. He lived in the North for many years, adding to his horde of gold and other riches by marauding where he pleased. He used his human form to scout out kingdoms for wealth, eavesdropping on talk of treasures and later striking as a mighty dragon. His lust for gold grew along with his horde of treasures and he developed a taste for human flesh; "especially maidens" the rumors said.

And so it continued for many a year until Smaug's ears heard of a treasure so vast that it rivaled all other kingdoms. His sights were set on the kingdom of Erebor.

…

**(Okay, things are going to start speeding up in the next chapter. So, tell me what you think about this one. I promise this story will get better.)**


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